My World: Akina
by PrincessRubyAi
Summary: Akina Katayanagi has had a really hard life, having her family killed, finding a girl sealed in a cave and taking down a evil organization. Her life's about to get harder after returning to her friend's village after 2 years. NejixAishi SasukexAkina
1. Arrival

Hi everyone, this is an idea my friend and I came up with. We both wrote the same story from our character's points of view. This is the one she wrote from Akina's view. Hope you all enjoy it, review please.

The two girls stood on a hill overlooking the Hidden Leaf Village. Konoha was the older girl's hometown, and it had been two years since they'd seen the village. Although it was obvious she missed it, the girls had decided not to enter until the next morning.

"Aishi-neechan, are you sure it's okay to wait until tomorrow?" The younger girl stepped away from the tree line and stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the village she'd heard so much about.

"I'm sure, Akina. It'll be better that way," Aishi answered calmly, though her orange-and-white fox ears drooped anxiously.

"If you say so. I just want to meet everyone I've heard about - I feel like I know them already! What I don't understand is you _can_ wait to see them all, especially Neji." Akina grinned impishly and elbowed Aishi.

Aishi's ears and matching fox tail shot up, and she punched her friend softly before turning away to hide her reddening face.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, too," Akina giggled, noticing her friend's none-too-subtle blush. "Maybe he'll even give you a hug."

"I doubt it. He's not the kind to show his feelings like that," Aishi answered dryly.

"You know best. But after the bajillion stories I've heard, a hug wouldn't be that surprising..."

"You think?"

"Of course!" Akina nodded emphatically, silver eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Then it'll definitely happen," Aishi grinned back.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I'm going to grab a little sleep. Wake me up when it's time to go, 'kay?" She wandered a little way back into the forest and settled against a tree for a quick catnap. As she drifted slowly to sleep, she heard Aishi begin to play the flute she always carried with her. The next thing she was aware of was Aishi shouting excitedly.

"Akina, wake up! It's time to go meet everyone!"

"Geez, Aishi," Akina mumbled, sitting up and stretching. "I think you woke the whole village up with that one..."

"Well, then that saves us the trouble of having to wake them up when we get there, doesn't it?" Aishi laughed. "Come on, Hokage-sama will be expecting us."

A few minutes later the girls were seated in the Third Hokage's office while he greeted them. "Welcome back, Aishi; I have missed you. I can tell you've grown in the two years you've been gone. And it's good to meet you as well, Akina." The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded in response, and the old man continued. "Am I correct in assuming you two would like to become genin this year rather than be sent to the Academy?"

"Hai!" the girls exclaimed in unison. While Akina loved children, she couldn't think of anything much worse than being stuck in a class of them being taught something that was already second-nature to her.

"Alright, you'll both need to pass a set of three tests in front of the other graduating students this afternoon, but that shouldn't be a problem after everything you've been through already. Until then, I'm sure you'd like to greet your brother and friends, correct, Aishi?"

"Of course! Thank you, Hokage-sama; I'm so glad to be home," Aishi said, hugging her mentor tightly.

"We have missed you, too, Aishi. Now off you go; everyone else would like to see you, as well. I look forward to seeing what you girls have learned."

Aishi led Akina through the town to the Academy, then through the Academy's halls as they tried to find the right classroom. Akina was glad she didn't have to find it alone; Konoha was much bigger than her hometown, and she could tell it would take a little while before she learned how to navigate the village.

"This should be the one..." Aishi murmured before throwing open one of the Academy's many identical doors. Over Aishi's shoulder, Akina could see a room full of curious students about her age and a rather startled teacher. Aishi beamed and walked into the room. "Everybody, I'm back!"

"Aishi!" A goofy-looking blonde boy leaped over the desk and seized her in a death grip. _Brother?_ Akina wondered. "I've missed you, Sis! Believe it!" _Yep. So that one's Naruto..._ Akina walked past the siblings and perched on the windowsill, ignoring the eyes that left Aishi to follow her and trying to find faces to match the other names she'd heard over the years.

"I missed you, too, Naruto, but I need air!" Aishi gasped.

"Sorry," Naruto laughed nervously. He let go, but she was instantly surrounded by other classmates – mostly boys, Akina noted – accompanied by a chorus of "welcome back"s and "good to see you"s.

"I've missed all of you. You all look so much stronger now; we'll have to have rematches so I can see how strong you've really gotten," Aishi said through the large group hug.

"Welcome back," the only other girl in the bundle said as the hug broke apart. Akina assumed this was Hyuuga Hinata, Aishi's best girl friend; however, she didn't stutter like Aishi had said Hinata did.

"Ne, Aishi?" Akina pushed herself off the window and took a few steps back toward the center of the room. "Can I guess who people are now?"

"Of course," Aishi grinned. "Everyone, this is Akina. She's been my traveling companion these last two years."

Akina smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Now then. _You_ –" She walked over to Naruto and shoved her index finger rather forcefully into his forehead, jeweled bracelets chinking softly as she did. "– must be Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard plenty of stories about you; no need to worry, though, they were mostly good." Naruto grinned, completely missing the implications of her comment. "The one who looks like he's about to die of boredom is Nara Shikamaru; the chip-fanatic next to him is Akimichi Chouji. Those two are Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, and this is Hyuuga Hinata..." She walked back toward the window and stood in front of the desk of the only student who hadn't moved since they walked in. "And _this_ anti-social child must be the famous Uchiha Sasuke." She flicked him between his eyes, earning an especially cold glare, before turning and walking back to where Aishi stood, amidst an outbreak of indignant chatter from several female members of the class. "So how did I do?"

"You got everybody – not surprising, after all the stories you've heard," Aishi beamed back.

The teacher cleared his throat, and both the class and the two girls fell silent. "We're glad you're back, Aishi, but before you got here, I was about to announce the team assignments. If you don't mind, I'd like to finish that." He spoke sternly, but his smile showed he was as happy as most of his students to see the fox-eared girl again.

"Of course, Iruka-sensei," Aishi replied, following Akina back to the windowsill.

"All right. As of today, you are all ninja. However, you are still rookie ninja, genin; the hard part is just starting. Now, you will all be assigned duties by the village, which will be completed by the three-man teams we're assigning now. Each team will have a jounin leader, and you will follow your jounin's instructions when completing your missions and duties. Each team was chosen to balance out the strengths and weaknesses of the other members. Aishi and Akina, we'll work out a graduation test for you after I assign everyone else to their teams, all right?"

"You mean if they pass, they'll be ninja, too?" one of the girls asked in disgust.

"That's exactly what I mean," Iruka answered disapprovingly.

"But that's not fair! They haven't even trained!" the girl whined.

Akina snorted but bit back the snide comment that flew to her mouth; Aishi was more irritated by the girl's undue criticism. "If you doubt our abilities, you're more than welcome to be one of our challengers in this test," she snapped, glaring. "I don't care what you say about me, but I'd hate for you to give Akina a bad impression of our village just because you need a life."

"Ouch," Akina whispered as Aishi sat back down.

"What can I say? Fan-girls bother me."

"Sensei?" the girl asked sweetly. "If that's the case, can my sister Kipacha be Aishi's opponent? I'm sure they'd love the chance to catch up."

_Kipacha? _Akina thought. _Wasn't that the girl who used to harass Aishi for being friends with Neji...?_

"I'll ask Hokage-sama," Iruka answered, sounding irritated. "Now, back to team assignments. Team 7! Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto –"

"Yes!" He was interrupted by a cheer as Naruto jumped up excitedly; Sakura hung her head in despair.

"– and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hell yes!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Team 8! Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. Team 10! Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji."

"Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding ninja like me have to be on the same team as _that_ guy?!" Naruto shouted, pointing angrily at Sasuke.

Akina rolled her eyes. _Babies, both of them. How is that boy related to Aishi-neechan..?_

"Sasuke had the highest grades in the class; Naruto, yours were dead last. We have to make sure the teams are balanced," Iruka stated bluntly.

"Just don't get in my way, dead last," Sasuke said flatly.

"What did you call me?!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, calm down. It's okay, just prove them wrong with hard work and skills," Aishi said firmly.

"Hai, nee-chan! I'll make everyone acknowledge me through my skills as a great ninja! Believe it!" Naruto pumped the air with his fist as he spoke. Akina raised an eyebrow. _Great ninja? From what I've heard, he's really not that great…_

"All right, everyone. After lunch we will hold Aishi and Akina's test, then you will all meet your jounin sensei. Until then, the rest of you are free to go. Aishi, Akina, come with me to Hokage-sama's office so we can explain your test," Iruka dismissed his class.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said as Akina nodded. Both girls got up off the window sill and followed him toward the door.

"Aishi," Sasuke said suddenly.

"Hm? Did you need something?" Aishi turned around, concerned.

"Welcome back."

_Huh, he speaks, _Akina thought.

Aishi stared for a few seconds before breaking into a giant grin and hugging him. "Thank you!" she said as she let go a moment later. "I'm really glad you didn't forget me or something." Sasuke looked slightly annoyed but didn't respond. "Akina and I have to go to Hokage-sama's office now; later we can eat the lunch you owe me," Aishi grinned.

"You remember that?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"Of course I remember! We tied in that bet, so that means you still owe me lunch. Besides, I'd like to find out what I've missed while I've been gone. See you later!" Aishi waved, and Sasuke half-smiled as she left the room.

"So what was that all about?" Akina asked curiously as they walked back through the Academy hallways.

"We made a bet a few days before I got sealed in the cave about who was better at target practice and genjutsu. Whoever lost had to buy the other one lunch. We ended up tying; I won genjutsu and he won target practice. So we both had to buy each other a lunch," Aishi explained.

Akina laughed. "Wish I could've seen that."

The girls were again seated in the Hokage's office as he explained the various aspects of their test. "This test will determine whether you girls become genin or students at the Academy. As I told you earlier, there will be three parts. First you will take a written test, second a practical test designed to test your knowledge of basic jutsu, and third a combat test with one of the current genin. I've heard your opponents have already been decided," he chuckled. "Do either of you have any questions before we begin?" _Yeah, can we start yet?_ Both girls shook their heads, and he continued. "Enough talk, then. You will now take the written test; when you are finished we will gather everyone for the other sections."

"Good luck," Iruka said, handing them their tests.

"Arigatou, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said warmly. "Don't worry about us; we can handle it."

"Definitely," Akina agreed, smiling.

In about five minutes both girls had finished the test with little effort and no trouble.

"That was really easy," Akina said as they followed a path through the village. "I expected it to be harder."

"Hai, it wasn't bad at all. Especially since I did all the Academy work while I was stuck in that cave," Aishi mumbled. "Hey, why don't we go see Neji and his team? We have extra time before the second test!"

"Why not?" Akina grinned. She noticed a pair of ninja talking farther down the path. Pointing in their direction, she asked, "Hey, isn't that Sasuke and that Sakura girl?"

"Yeah," Aishi replied, pausing.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" she cooed shrilly. "Are you ready now? I sure am!!" Akina cringed. _I get the feeling I'm not going to like that girl._

"Where's Naruto? It's time to go to Aishi and that new girl's test," Sasuke asked flatly over her.

"Oh, don't change the subject. Who cares about Naruto? I mean, all he does is get in fights with you! At least his sister Aishi isn't so bad; _she_ at least knows her place." Sakura nodded, agreeing with herself; Akina scowled and glared at her. _Who does that girl think she is? It sounds to me like _she's_ the one who needs to learn _her_ place. _"They haven't had normal childhoods," Sakura continued, oblivious to all three sets of eyes glaring daggers at her. "They don't have any parents, so they can do whatever they want. If _I_ acted like Naruto, my parents would get so mad at me! They're lucky, without parents ever getting on to them…"

"That's why Naruto can't ever behave and Aishi spends all her time training," Sasuke said coldly. "The sadness of having a parent yell at you is nothing compared to being all alone. You should be quiet; you're annoying." With that he walked off, leaving Sakura too stunned to move. _That's right, he knows what it's like, too. I wonder how he handles it…_

"Come on, Akina, let's go. Ne-kun should be at the training field about now," Aishi said, walking off again. Akina nodded and followed her.

As Akina followed Aishi onto the training fields, she saw two boys sparring in the distance, while a girl leaned on a nearby tree watching. One of the boys had his back to them, but from his fighting style and his long hair gathered loosely into a ponytail of sorts, she could tell instantly that this was Hyuuga Neji. The other boy, who, judging from the distinctive eyebrows, had to be Rock Lee, was the first to notice them. Once he did, his eyes widened and he froze, barely missing a punch from Neji, who turned to follow Lee's gaze. When he saw Aishi, his jaw dropped almost imperceptibly, and he stared in apparent disbelief. Aishi grinned and ran forward, met halfway by Lee and the girl, whom Akina assumed to be Aishi's friend Ten-ten.

"Welcome back!" they both exclaimed.

"I've missed you guys," Aishi said, hugging them back.

"No fair, Aishi," Ten-ten teased. "You look like you've learned lots of new techniques. You'll have to teach me."

"Only if you teach me yours," Aishi laughed. "Guys, this is my friend Akina. She's been traveling with me since I left."

"Nice to meet you." Akina smiled, and Lee and Ten-ten nodded warmly at her.

"Aishi, we must have a rematch! No matter how strong you've gotten, it cannot quench my fighting spirit!" Lee declared, eyes blazing.

Aishi and Akina both laughed, then Aishi turned and walked to where Neji was still standing. She paused, smiled again, and hugged him. Akina thought he was about to return the embrace, but instead he pushed her away, glaring. Aishi stared up at him, obviously shocked and deeply wounded.

"I don't know why you bothered coming back here," he said coldly. "But you shouldn't have. Everything that happened in the past should stay there. Fate has carved a different path for each of us; you are nothing but a rival to me now, and I don't want to see you unless I have to." Aishi sunk to her knees, too stunned to react.

Akina had hung back with Lee and Ten-ten to give the two some space; however, Neji's words and the expression of near-hatred on his face had her shaking with wrath. "Who do you think you are?!" she demanded, marching indignantly over to him. "Do you have any idea how long Aishi's waited to see you again? I've been with her for a little over two years now, and let me tell you, almost the whole time, it's been 'Neji this' and 'Neji that' - she couldn't wait to get back and see you again! She wanted to show you everything she'd learned, to see how much you'd grown - and then she finally gets back, only to find out you _hate _her now?! You intolerable, short-sighted, self-righteous prick!" She paused momentarily to allow Neji to respond; he remained silent, and she was dimly aware of a crunch as her fist collided with his nose. She hadn't intended to hit him, but she derived a perverse sense of satisfaction from the blood now streaming down his face. "How dare you hurt her like that… She never wanted anything but the best for you."

"Akina-san, you must stop!" Lee and Ten-ten had run over, probably when she'd punched Neji; Lee was now holding Akina by the arms while Ten-ten tried to comfort Aishi.

"Lee… Akina… please stop… Please don't hurt Ne - Neji - any more…" Without moving her glare from Neji's face, Akina could tell her friend was crying, and she had to fight hard against the urge to tear apart the idiot who had hurt her. Neji looked down at Aishi, and Akina thought she saw a twinge of guilt before he firmly re-cemented his mask of detachment. Aishi wobbled to her feet and began to walk slowly away. "Neji… I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you…" Akina turned her head and watched; in a few moments Aishi was out of sight.

"So you have an attitude problem the size of the country, and she thinks it's _her _fault somehow," Akina said coolly. "You're so pathetic I almost pity you." She wrenched herself out of Lee's grip and walked off in the direction Aishi had gone.

It took around fifteen minutes for Ten-ten, Lee, and Akina to find Aishi crossing the street from a park to a small takoyaki shop. She bought one, then wiped her face and took a bite. "It tastes bitter," she whispered.

"Of course it does. Food never tastes good when you're crying," Ten-ten said, walking up next to her.

Aishi jumped slightly. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to cheer you up, silly," Akina answered.

"It's not good for you to be so upset!" Lee declared. "If you take your test like this, it will be almost impossible to pass. You must use the power of your youth!"

Aishi half-smiled and stood up, closing her hand around the ruby necklace she always wore. "Thank you, everyone. I'm not going to make you worry any more. Now come on, it's time for the test!" She grabbed the other three and began to drag them back toward the Academy. Lee and Ten-ten swapped a smile, but Akina frowned worriedly. No matter what Aishi said, she suspected she'd always worry about the other girl, if only because she never took the time to worry about herself.

Minutes later, Aishi and Akina were standing opposite Iruka-sensei and Sandaime as the village leader refreshed them on the last two pieces of their test. "Now we will conduct the test to determine if Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina are fit to become genin or if they must enroll at the Academy." Iruka-sensei's eyebrow raised, and Akina thought, rather despondently, she knew why. "At the beginning of the lunch break they were both given a written test, which they passed. But there is more to being a ninja than head-knowledge, much more. Now we will test their knowledge of a few very basic jutsu; their third test will be a more extensive test of their abilities, as determined through one-on-one combat. We have had a pair of volunteer opponents; many thanks to them." He nodded at the obnoxious girl from earlier and another girl who looked much like her. _So that's the infamous Kipacha. She doesn't look all that strong._ "Iruka, if you would?" Sandaime stepped back into the crowd, and Iruka took a step toward the girls.

"This part of the test is simple. I will call out a jutsu and you will both perform it; we will repeat the procedure twice. Ready? Bunshin no jutsu!" The girls repeated the phrase; there was a puff of smoke, and three clones of each girl appeared next to her. Iruka nodded, and the clones disappeared. "Henge no Jutsu!" This time when the smoke cleared, Akina had turned herself into a mirror image of Aishi, who in turn had turned into Hyuuga Hinata. "Good. You both pass the second test." In an instant both girls were back to normal, with huge grins spread across their faces. "However, the third test is the most critical of the three, the combat test. Aishi will begin, with Kipacha as her opponent. Begin," Iruka said, ushering Akina toward the crowd of students.

"Well, well," Kipacha sneered. "If it isn't the little fox girl, crawled back into town. This time I'll teach you your place."

"Bring it," Aishi dared, slipping into a defensive stance. Kipacha charged forward, slamming her fist into the ground. Aishi flipped over her and backwards, away from the barrage of punches. She caught one of Kipacha's kicks and flipped her into the air, following her up and slamming a knee into her back. Suddenly Aishi jumped away; a second later Kipacha's body exploded into a dense cloud of purple smoke. Aishi formed a few hand seals, and a face mask appeared; she put it carefully over her nose and mouth.

"I see you remembered my strength lies in genjutsu and powders; there's no way a weak girl like you can beat me." Aishi glanced around for a moment, then sprang out of the smoke and hurled a kunai in the direction of the other girl's voice. Kipacha landed nearby, a thin red line running across her cheek. "My face, my beautiful face! How dare you mar me!?" Akina rolled her eyes as Kipacha began forming seals and glanced down at the ring on her left hand; everything around them began to grow dark as the girl's genjutsu took effect. "Face it, fox girl, there's no way you can win! You're helpless in the dark."

"Kai," Akina muttered, closing her eyes. When she reopened them, she could see perfectly well.

Aishi grabbed Kipacha's arm and twisted it, slamming her hand into the girl's face and holding a kunai to her throat. "Winner, Uzumaki Aishi!" Aishi pulled off her mask and waved victoriously to the crowd.

"How did you know where I was? There was no way you could have - "

"You talk too much. When I couldn't see you, I used my fox ears to follow your voice. It was easy to find you. You hurt your wrist when you fell; if you want I can help you bandage it."

"I don't want help from _you_," Kipacha spat.

"Geez, she was just trying to help. No need to throw a fit over it. If you don't need help, then move; you're in the way," Akina said imperiously.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!" mini-Kipacha ordered, pushing her way to the front and helping her sister up. "You're just the new girl; you can't boss _any_one around, especially not my sister!"

Akina shrugged. "My bad. So are you the one who's going to play with me?"

"There's no 'play' about it. Being a ninja is serious! If you think it's a game, there's no way you'll beat me!" Aishi grinned knowingly and walked over to the rest of the crowd; Kipacha huffed and followed her.

"You must not be very good at games, then. Before we start, I'm Akina. What's your name?"

"Azumi; you better not forget it!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Akina curtseyed. "Well, that's that. Shall we begin?"

In response, Azumi drew a kunai from the holster on her right thigh and leapt backwards. Akina darted toward her, reaching to her left hip to draw a kunai of her own. Her ring clinked against the kunai handle, and she made a note to remember that the rest of her supplies were on her right side. Akina slashed upward; there was a clang as the two kunai collided. Azumi jumped back again and threw a small capsule onto the ground, where it burst on impact and sent up a smokescreen. _Long range? Darn, and here I was hoping for a punching bag. Azumi-san, it's time for you to learn just what it means to play a game with me._ She paused to listen for Azumi but heard nothing; the girl was probably outside the smokescreen waiting for Akina to move. _Run, run, as fast as you can…_ Akina pulled out several shuriken, tapping each of them ritually against her ring. She backed toward the other students and threw the shuriken, fanning them out to cover as much area as possible. She heard several dull thuds as they landed, followed by a heavier thud that had to be Azumi moving. She planted her first kunai in the ground and darted toward the last noise; when she exited the smokescreen, Azumi was right there, poised defensively. Her eyes widened as Akina appeared next to her. "Check," Akina whispered.

Azumi stumbled sideways a few steps before regaining both her balance and composure; this was more than enough time for Akina to act. She drew another kunai and released a small whirlwind of attacks, forcing Azumi to haphazardly block the blows. No more than four paces along the path of the girl's slow retreat, Akina noticed a faint glimmer around chest height. _Closer, closer…_ Azumi's retreat sped up as she balanced herself, trying to remove herself from close combat. Before she could get away, she ran into the first of the six thin wires strung across the arena. Her eyes widened and Akina smirked as they both recognized the dangerous situation she had just entered. Akina yanked on the left side of the string, pulling the shuriken on its end out of the tree nearby, and ducked underneath the right side to stand behind Azumi. She wrapped the shuriken-headed wire around Azumi's middle, holding the shuriken itself against the girl's left side and placing the kunai against her throat. "Checkmate."

"Winner, Katayanagi Akina!"

Akina grinned broadly and pocketed her kunai, then turned toward the crowd and curtseyed again. Azumi unwound herself huffily, cutting her arm in the process, and threw the shuriken on the ground. "You little brat! You think you can just show up all of a sudden and start beating up people who've been here all their lives?"

Akina smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Azumi-san. Maybe I'll see you around." She walked over to the kunai in the ground and pulled, dragging all six shuriken across the arena toward her. She touched the kunai to her ring again, and the wire connecting them disappeared. Sticking the weapons back in their holster, she walked back over to where Aishi stood grinning.

"Good job," Aishi said, holding out her hand for a high-five.

"You, too," Akina grinned, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. Ten-ten and Lee waved at her; she waved back, smirking at the sight of Neji's swollen nose. Naruto was cheering; next to him Sakura was staring in awe at the back of Sasuke's head. When Sasuke saw Akina looking in his direction, he nodded almost imperceptibly. He didn't seem to be glaring at her, but with that boy, she couldn't quite be sure.

"Aishi, Akina, you have proven yourselves worthy of being called Konoha shinobi. You are hereby given the rank of genin, and you will be assigned a place on one of the genin teams," Sandaime said, handing both girls a Konoha forehead protector.

"We did it!" Aishi cheered as the girls hugged each other. Aishi tied it around the sleeve of her camouflage jacket; Akina removed the metal plate from the cloth and fastened it on the waist strap of her shuriken holster.

After a short conference with Iruka, Sandaime announced, "Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina will both be placed on Team 7." Aishi and Akina blinked at each other. _A five-man team? How does that work?_ "That is all; you may go meet your jounin sensei now."

That's all for now, hope you liked it, please review and don't forget to click the blue button at the bottom of the screen.


	2. Becoming Team 7

Here's chapter 2 everyone, enjoy and review please.

For the third time that day, Akina was sitting on the windowsill of the Academy classroom. Aishi was sitting next to her; the members of the unusually large Team 7 were waiting for their sensei to arrive. _He's really late; we've been waiting forever! I wonder if he's going to show up at all?_

"Naruto, stay still!" Sakura ordered.

"Why does _our_ sensei have to be so late? All the other teams left with their teacher already; even Iruka-sensei's gone!" Naruto grinned mischievously as he finished his rant. He placed an eraser securely between the edge of the cracked door and the doorframe.

"Hey, what are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura demanded.

"That's what he gets for being late!"

Aishi chuckled, and Akina struggled not to smile. "Aishi, can't you do something about him?" Sakura whined.

"Just because I'm his sister and babysitter doesn't mean I can control him 24/7," Aishi grinned. "Besides, I'm a bit of a prankster myself."

"Believe it! Nee-chan's like me; she knows how to have fun!" Naruto grinned - stupidly, Akina thought - and hugged Aishi briefly.

"That's one way to put it, but I also know when _not_ to cause trouble," Aishi laughed as Naruto hung his head.

"Geez, whatever. I'm not involved," Sakura declared.

"Oh, come on, Sakura. Live a little," Akina teased, earning a bitter glare from the pink-haired girl.

"Like a jounin's going to fall for such a simple booby trap," Sasuke mumbled.

Suddenly a grey-haired ninja, a mask covering most of his face, slid open the door; the eraser tumbled down onto his head, sending up a poof of white powder. "You fell for it!" Naruto cackled, laughing so hard he collapsed. Aishi chuckled, and Akina couldn't help but giggle.

"I'm so sorry, sensei," Sakura said innocently. "I tried to stop him, but Naruto…"

"And you didn't enjoy that at all," Akina said pointedly. _Goody-goody._

"No one asked _you_," Sakura bit back. _Won't this be a fun team? We've got the idiot, the ditz, and the ultra-loner, and Aishi and I aren't exactly normal, either._

"Hmm, how can I say this?" the jounin began. "My first impression is… I don't like you guys." Akina raised an eyebrow. _And to top off our team problems, we have a picky teacher. Lovely, just lovely._

The grey-haired jounin led the five students to a large rooftop and gestured for them to sit. "Let's start with some introductions."

"What do you want to know?" Akina asked curiously.

"How about… your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that."

"Hey, hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?" Naruto demanded.

"Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you about my likes or dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hm… Well, I have a few hobbies." _Enigmatic, huh? That makes things more fun._

"So all we learned is his name?" Sakura muttered, irritated.

"Now it's your turn, from the right," Kakashi said, pointing to Naruto.

"Me! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen! What I like even more is the Ichiraku ramen Iruka-sensei buys me. What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen! My dream is to surpass the Hokage, and then have all the people of this village acknowledge my existence!" Naruto rambled excitedly. _I could be wrong, but I think Aishi took all the brains in the Uzumaki family._

"Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I hate, but I don't really like anything." Akina laughed inwardly. _Such an agreeable child, isn't he._ "And… I don't want to use the word 'dream,' but I have an ambition. To resurrect my clan… and to kill a certain man." _Revenge.. Could I - would I have ended up that way if I hadn't found Aishi-neechan? _Akina wondered, feeling a growing sense of camaraderie toward the black-haired boy.

"Next, the girl in pink," Kakashi continued.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is… Well, the person I like is… Umm, should I say my dream for the future?" Sakura squealed, blushed, and buried her face in her hands. "The thing that I dislike is Naruto. My hobby is…" Sakura stared intently at Sasuke while Naruto hung his head sadly.

"There, there," Aishi said, patting Naruto gently.

"Fox girl," Kakashi prompted.

"I'm Uzumaki Aishi. I like training, hiking through the woods, and being outside. I dislike people who judge others and who are cruel for no reason. My hobbies are writing music, playing my flute, singing, and dancing. As for dreams… I have a dear friend I accidentally hurt, and I want to find a way to make it up to him. I want to protect him and the rest of my friends so it doesn't happen again. And then maybe we can be friends again…" Aishi tried to smile, but the pain she felt was obvious.

"Lastly, the girl in purple."

"My name is Katayanagi Akina," she began.

"Any relation to Katayanagi Tatsuya?" Kakashi interrupted. Akina nodded slightly, and she thought his face softened; with only one eye uncovered, though, it wasn't easy to tell. "Go on, then."

"I like games, challenges, and jewelry - lots of jewelry. I can't stand it when people define others by their past. My last real dream died two years ago, so I guess now my goal is to find a new one. My hobbies are cooking, reading, and people-watching. The end," Akina finished.

"Okay, you all have unique personalities. I like that. We will have our first mission tomorrow," Kakashi informed them.

"Mission? Yay!! What kind of mission?" Naruto asked enthusiastically.

"First, we're going to do something just the six of us."

"What, what?!"

"Survival training," Kakashi answered simply. _Oh? Sounds fun! I hope there's something special up his sleeve. And that these maniacs won't be too much of a slow-down._

"Why are we training as our first mission? We did enough of that at the Academy!" Sakura whined. Kakashi started laughing, an eerie sort of laughter that couldn't herald anything good. "Hey, sensei, what's so funny?"

"Well, it's just that I know you're going to be surprised when I say this. Only a third of the graduates will become genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a very hard test with a 66 fail rate… See? I told you you'd all be surprised." Naruto and Sakura looked stunned; Sasuke remained outwardly emotionless.

"This should be fun," Akina whispered to Aishi.

"Heck yeah! I love challenges; they're fun," Aishi replied, grinning.

"But we worked so hard! What was the point of the graduation test?!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh, that? That's to select the people who have a chance to become genin. Tomorrow I will determine whether you pass or fail on the training field. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 in the morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast, or else you'll throw up. That's all; don't be late," Kakashi said, walking away.

"Well then, I think training is in order. Don't you, Akina?" Aishi asked, standing up.

"Of course. Same rules as usual?" Akina questioned, pushing herself off the ground.

"Hai! First one to find the other and defeat them in combat wins. Ready," Aishi grinned.

"Set," Akina beamed back.

"Go!" The two girls disappeared almost instantly to play their game of "high stakes" shinobi tag.

A few minutes after five the next morning, the five teens stood in the middle of the training ground waiting for Kakashi to show up. "He likes being late, doesn't he?" Akina asked, absentmindedly twisting a strand of powder-blue hair around her finger.

"Obviously," Aishi replied, twirling a twig in the air. "The question is, what kind of story will he make up?"

"Good morning," Kakashi said calmly as he walked toward them.

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

"Sorry about that. You see, there was this old lady, and - "

"Liar!" they interrupted.

Kakashi cleared his throat and set a clock down on a nearby tree stump. "The alarm is set for 12 o'clock noon. Your challenge is to get one of these three bells from me. Anyone who can't get a bell by noon gets no lunch. I'll tie you to one of those stumps and eat lunch in front of you." _So that's why the no-breakfast rule… Better get a bell, then._ Akina glanced around and saw that only Aishi seemed comfortable with this announcement. _Guess she broke the rule; I would've expected it to be Naruto._

"Sensei?" Sakura asked. "Why are there only three bells?"

"At least two of you will be tied to the stumps. And they will also be sent back to the Academy, since they failed to complete the mission. It may only be two, or it may be all five. You can use shuriken; you won't succeed unless you come at me with intent to kill."

"But sensei, that's dangerous!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah, you couldn't even dodge the chalkboard eraser," Naruto laughed.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Just ignore Mr. Dead Last; we'll start when I say - "

Naruto pulled out a kunai and prepared to attack; before he could move, Kakashi stood behind him, holding the point of the kunai securely against the blond's neck. "Slow down, I haven't said start yet." Aishi nodded to Akina; the younger girl smirked and nodded back. _Fast… Sensei will be a fun playmate._ "But it seems you have the will to kill me now. I think I'm starting to like you guys. We're going to start now. Ready… Start!"

The ninja dispersed; Aishi and Akina darted to a nearby tree to confer while the others hid themselves. "So you felt it, too?" Aishi asked, leaning against the tree trunk.

"Yep. He's got a ton of chakra; I think we're going to have to work together on this one," Akina replied from her perch on the branch above.

"The two of us could probably do it, but I think all five of us should work together as a team. What do you think?"

"Not sure they'll listen, but it's worth a shot." Akina shook her head skeptically.

"We have to try. Let's go find them." Akina jumped back out of the tree, and the girls threaded their way stealthily through the forest. They found Naruto first, hanging by his ankles from a tree. _Wow, I didn't think he'd get caught _that _quickly._ Akina cut the rope with a shuriken; Naruto fell head-first to the ground.

"What was that for?" Naruto hollered. "I could've gotten down myself!"

"Shh! We don't know if Kakashi-sensei is around or not, and we don't want to lose the element of surprise," Aishi explained. "We think it would be best if we all worked together to beat sensei; all of us are less likely to get hurt that way."

"I'm not working with Sasuke!" Naruto declared. "I'll get one of those bells on my own, you'll see. There's no way I can lose, believe it!" Akina assumed he was trying to sound tough, but the effect was a stifling increase in his apparent idiocy.

"Suit yourself," Aishi sighed. "Please call us if you need help, though. Come on, Akina." They jumped back into the trees and had scarcely left Naruto out of sight when they heard a scream. _Sakura?_ "This way!" Aishi directed, adjusting her course so she and Akina landed in front of an unconscious Sakura. Aishi quickly checked her vitals. "She seems fine, just passed out. I think it was probably genjutsu."

"Guess that rules her out for help, too," Akina said, holding her hand over her heart and smiling tritely. "Such a pity."

"She was probably caught completely off guard looking for Sasuke or something. I guess he's the only one capable of helping us at this point."

"Don't bother," Sasuke said, stepping out from behind a nearby tree. "I don't need help. The two of you will just get in my way."

"But - " Aishi started.

"You sure?" Akina cut in. Sasuke stared at her flatly. "If you say so. But no complaining when it turns out you _do_ need our help, 'kay?" She smiled sweetly and swung back into the tree above her.

"But - oh, fine. Be careful." The tree's leaves rustled slightly as Aishi followed Akina; Akina almost missed the separate rustling as several shuriken whizzed toward her. She flattened herself against the tree trunk to avoid being hit. Aishi nodded at her, and she sprang off to her left, skirting around the source of the shuriken. _There you are._ Akina smiled as she spotted Kakashi below her, an orange book in one hand. She tapped the ring on her middle finger and pulled out a substantial length of glittering wire, slightly weighted on both ends. Aishi threw a shuriken at Kakashi; he simply dodged it and glanced up from his book. "I see your attempts at teamwork didn't exactly pan out."

"Think so?" Aishi asked. Akina snaked one end of the wire around Kakashi and the tree trunk, pulling the other tight as she jumped down.

"Not bad," Kakashi replied calmly.

"Really? We could say the same thing." Akina grinned and pulled out another wire; she flung it behind and above her in the same instant Aishi sent another shuriken flying at Kakashi. The body tied to the tree disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the real Kakashi jumped down to avoid the second wire.

Aishi quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Seizure no jutsu!" Akina dragged both wires back to her, glancing at the ends, as a cloud of butterflies made of fire appeared. _Success,_ she thought triumphantly. _Now for the finishing touches._ She launched the first wire toward Kakashi again as he sidestepped the butterflies.

"Flashy, but ineffective," he said calmly.

"I wouldn't say that," Aishi smiled.

"Over here," Akina snickered. Kakashi turned and saw his precious book entangled in the wire; one of the butterflies landed on it, and it erupted into flame. His eyes widened, and he ran over to the pile of ash where the book had been.

"I hadn't even finished yet!"

"Sorry," Akina said sympathetically, bowing her head in feigned reverence for the "deceased." "We'll give you some time to mourn and come back for the bells later." She and Aishi both walked off, Akina clinking her bracelets as loudly as possible.

They stopped as soon as they were out of earshot, looked at each other, and began laughing hysterically. "I can't believe that worked!" Aishi exclaimed. "Great timing, I was afraid he'd notice the switch."

"Thanks; nice distraction. And a lovely artistic touch there at the end," Akina complimented, chinking the two silver bells together before handing one to Aishi. "Here you are. How long do you think it'll take for him to notice?"

"Not sure. Probably not too… long…" Aishi trailed off as Sakura ran toward them, stopping wide-eyed near a clump of shrubbery.

"His severed head!!" she screamed, then collapsed unconscious for the second time that morning. _Severed head? Kakashi-sensei can't have killed anyone… He's been playing with us since we last saw Sasuke._

The conscious girls hurried around the bush; there in a clearing was Sasuke's head, poking out of the ground and looking less than thrilled. Akina giggled and walked over to him, kneeling about a foot away. "Do you want help now, or can you still handle things yourself?" Sasuke glared at her and said nothing. "Okay, we'll be going now, then." Akina stood up and began to walk back to where Aishi was standing.

"Wait," Sasuke said despondently. "Just get me out of here."

"That's more like it!" Akina clapped her hands together and knelt in front of Sasuke's head again. She used her finger to draw a circle in the dirt around him, which turned a light indigo as she left trace amounts of chakra on the soil. "Up you come." She pushed her arms under the earth and pulled Sasuke out. He brushed himself off and started toward the edge of the clearing, where Aishi was examining Sakura. "You're welcome."

"What are you doing? Where's Sasuke?" Sakura sat straight up and looked around.

"He's right here, and his head's perfectly intact," Akina announced, poking the back of his head to prove it.

"Sasuke-kun! You're alright!" Sakura squealed, standing up and launching herself at Sasuke.

"Don't touch me," he ordered, stepping quickly away. "There's not much time until lunch; I'm going to find Kakashi."

"You're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked incredulously. "You're incredible, Sasuke-kun! But we don't have to push ourselves so hard... There's always next time." She stopped abruptly and looked away as she noticed Sasuke glaring at her.

"No. There's a man only I can kill; I am an avenger. I have to become stronger than that man, so I can't just stay around here."

Suddenly the alarm rang, breaking the eerie silence.

A few moments later the five students were gathered in front of Kakashi; apparently Naruto had tried to eat lunch alone during the test, so he was now tied to one of the tree stumps.

"You all look really hungry," Kakashi said coldly. "And about the training mission... You should all quit as ninja."

"Quit as ninja?! What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto yelled. "Sure, we couldn't get the bells, but so what? Why does that mean we have to quit?!"

"Because you're a bunch of punks who don't deserve to be ninja." Sasuke suddenly charged at Kakashi, interrupting the lecture. In a heartbeat Kakashi had him pinned to the ground.

"No, don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

"It's okay, Sakura; Kakashi's only pinning him. He's not in any immediate danger," Aishi said, putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder. _Key word being immediate_, Akina thought, preparing for trouble.

"Why do you think you were divided into teams for this mission?" Kakashi asked. "You don't understand the answer at all."

"Answer?" Naruto repeated, confused.

"Yes, the answer that will help you complete this mission."

"Sensei, the answer is teamwork, isn't it?" Aishi asked.

"Yes."

"And the fact that there aren't enough bells for everyone is a part of the test, right?" Akina added.

"Of course! This test is designed to make you fight amongst yourselves. The purpose is to see if you can forget about your own interests and successfully work together. Sakura, instead of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, who was far away. Naruto, you were just running around by yourself. Sasuke, you assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything alone. Missions are completed by a team," Kakashi lectured. "Of course, superior individual ability is important to a ninja; but what's even more important is teamwork. Aishi and Akina realized that and tried to get the rest of you to help, but none of you would listen. They realized that individual work disrupts the team and can put your comrades in danger... or even get them killed. For example – Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!" Kakashi pulled a kunai and placed it to Sasuke's neck.

_He wouldn't! Would he? _Akina doubted the teacher would kill one of his students, but she instinctively reached for a weapon.

"You see? If a hostage is taken, you'll have to make tough choices that lead to death," Kakashi said, releasing Sasuke, who walked calmly back to the rest of the group. "You will be risking your lives in these missions. Look at all the names carved on this stone. These are ninja recognized as heroes of the village."

"I've decided to get my name carved on that stone, too! Hero – that's what I wanna become!!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But they aren't just normal heroes..."

"Oh yeah? What kind are they?"

"They're the heroes who died for the village..." Aishi explained sadly.

"That's right; this is a memorial. My best friend's name is carved here." Kakashi paused for a moment. "I'll give you guys one more chance, but after lunch I'll make it even harder to get the bells. Those who still wish to take the challenge can eat lunch. Don't give any to Naruto; it's his punishment for trying to eat by himself. Anyone who gives him food will fail immediately."

"Kakashi-sensei, what about people who already have a bell?" Akina asked.

"You got a bell?" Kakashi asked skeptically.

"Yep," Akina said, holding up a slender red thread with a bell on the end.

"Akina and I both got one," Aishi added.

"So did I," Sasuke said, stepping forward.

Akina glanced at the bell in his hand, then she and Aishi looked at each other. "That's not actually a bell..." Aishi began explaining.

"Are you calling Sasuke-kun a liar?" Sakura asked, outraged.

"We're not saying he's lying; he's just a bit... confused," Akina answered. "Let me explain. Aishi and I got our bells right before we burned Sensei's book. Which wasn't really his book, by the way; I swapped it while Aishi distracted him. That's also when we swapped the bells; the book-burning was to keep him from noticing I'd switched them. Sasuke got one of our substitutes. Here." She held out her hand for his bell. "Kai." The bell glowed for a moment before reverting to a small weight as the others stared in shock.

"Akina and I have learned many skills on our travels, especially alchemy and jewel summoning," Aishi explained. "We used alchemy to make the weights on the end of Akina's wires look like bells." She paused and looked at Akina, who nodded. "Sensei, we understand that only three people can pass, but we won't abandon our teammates. If we give you our bells back, the others can all get one, and we'll help them. If they each get one, all five of us pass; if not, we all fail."

"You realize that if you do that, you're both putting your graduation at risk," Kakashi stated.

"Yes, but we're _not_ leaving our teammates behind," Akina said, handing Kakashi both of their bells as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared wordlessly.

"All right." Kakashi began walking away. "Remember, don't feed Naruto!" he called as he left.

"N-nee-chan... Why did you do that?" Naruto asked.

"Because comrades don't leave their friends alone. Now open up," Aishi instructed.

As Sakura began to protest, Sasuke walked over to Akina. "I don't need help from any of you. If it hadn't been for you I would've gotten a bell on my own."

Akina looked him straight in the eye, ignoring the vicious glare he was giving her. "Because you're just so amazing you can completely miss the point of all of this, right?"

"I told you before, I'm not like the rest of you. I'm an avenger. The whole point of my life is to kill a certain person. Working with other people will only slow me down."

Akina's expression iced over. "Are you saying that your _ever-so_-tragic past makes you better than us?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Why you..." She aimed a hard punch at the right side of his face; he deftly caught it, but the force pushed him back a few steps regardless. "There's more to a person than their past, and you don't know anything about me anyway; don't ever say you're better than me because of what you've been through, ever." Her voice was low and threatening, her silver eyes gleaming with fury.

"I know enough about you to know you're nothing like me. You're just a spoiled, moody know-it-all who doesn't know how to mind her own business."

I'm _a know-it-all?!_ _Then what does that make you? _She slammed her left fist into the underside of his jaw as hard as she could, sending him a few inches off the ground, and pushed against him with her right hand, taking advantage of his loosened grip both to send him backwards and to free herself from his hold. He landed hard with a loud thump.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped, running over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Don't _touch_ me," he said.

"Bastard. You say you're nothing like me, but you're wrong. The problem is we're too much alike. But if I ever get as stuck-up as you are, I hope someone kills me on the spot."

"Akina!" Aishi scolded, Naruto's lunch all but forgotten. "I don't agree with Sasuke, and I understand why you're upset. But we're supposed to be working together without fighting!"

"I was more than willing to work with everybody else! He's the idiot who insisted on doing everything alone!"

"You're the one who punched me," Sasuke pointed out coldly, rubbing his jaw.

"I wouldn't have punched you if you hadn't said you're better than the rest of the world!"

"Children!" Aishi said sternly. "_Both_ of you apologize, then come eat lunch. Once everybody's eaten we're all going to work _together _to get the bells."

"Do I have to apologize?" Akina asked sulkily.

"Yes."

"Fine." Akina sighed in defeat. "Sorry," she and Sasuke said simultaneously, both glaring intensely.

"Thank you. Now come eat while I feed Naruto."

"Yes, ma'am..." Akina mumbled.

"Aishi, if you feed Naruto, you'll be disqualified!" Sakura objected.

"Naruto, open up," Aishi prompted, ignoring Sakura.

Akina poked at her lunch disinterestedly. "Sasuke... I'm sorry I hit you," she said quietly, not looking up at him. "What you said made me really angry, but it didn't give me any right to punch you. So, I apologize."

"Whatever." His answer was less than friendly, but then she hadn't expected it to be. Still, she might have imagined it, but she thought some of the earlier venom was gone from his tone. _I hope he doesn't stay too mad at me; I know that was a big mistake, but I'd like to be friends if we can._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden puff of smoke; when it cleared a very angry Kakashi stood in front of them.

"You guys..." he began harshly. "...pass."

_What? How can we pass a teamwork exercise when I just tried to beat Sasuke to a pulp and Aishi's sitting there breaking the rules by feeding Naruto?_ She and Aishi glanced at each other, then up at Kakashi.

"You are the first to pass. Everyone else just did whatever I told them, but a ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash... But those who don't take care of their comrades are less than trash. That ends the mission; all of you pass. Starting tomorrow we are officially Team 7. Let's go!" Kakashi began walking in the other direction. "Oh, and Akina? Try to avoid hitting Sasuke in the future."

Akina half-smiled, detecting a degree of amusement in his voice rather than anger. "Yes, sir."

"He seems interesting, don't you think?" Aishi asked as she untied Naruto, who instantly followed Sasuke and Sakura after their teacher.

"Yeah," Akina agreed. "And he knew Nii-san."

"Are you okay?" Aishi asked, concerned.

"I think so. Sorry I lost it earlier."

"It's okay, everyone loses it from time to time. At least you didn't break anything this time." Akina looked down sheepishly. "If you're sure you're okay, let's catch up with everyone else. Come on!" Aishi ran off, Akina right behind her.

That's all hope you liked it, please click the blue button at the bottom of your screen now.


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